Diving in the Seychelles

The Seychelles Diving Experience

Glowing aqua-blue waters and splendid lagoons, this is what the Seychelles offers. The island is a must for diving lovers. Seychelles provides a plethora of marine life and is consequently considered a major diving spot in the Indian Ocean.

The Seychelles is known as an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Oceanand is famous for its charming beaches, azure water, turquoise lagoon and its green jungles. It has three principle islands namely Mahé, Praslin and La Digue Island. Mahé is the main island and its capital is Victoria.

Flora

Seychelles and its exquisite marine treasures will keep you mesmerized. The island is a real living museum of natural history and encloses the rarest species of flora around the globe. A real dream-come-true island, the aquatic flora of this wonderland is rich and exceptional, teeming with corals and gardens. There is lot to explore, which is why divers will simply love it here.

Fauna

Along with its amazing flora, the Seychelles Island contains one of the most diverse outstanding fauna around the world, ranging from tiny creatures to giants ones. Species such as angelfish, reef sharks, octopus, whale sharks, hawksbill turtle, giant tortoise and many others contribute to make the island’s fauna unique.

Seychelles diving tips

The Seychelles is a well-known place amongst different categories of divers. For your convenience, we’ve outlined a few, safety tips and available diving centres.

When to dive

Though, diving in the Seychelles is possible all year round, the months of March, April, May, September, October and November are the months where a superb diving experience is guaranteed. During these months, the water is very calm, hence, enabling good visibility.

The calmer waters allow the dive boats to reach more isolated sites, hence, drifting in a mind boggling experience. You may also be lucky enough to come across whale sharks in these remote sites. Temperature varies from 29° to 31° in these months. Stronger winds usually blow in the month of June, July and August, resulting in cooler waters. Temperature drops to around 25°. Visibility degrades in these periods due to excessive plankton manifestations. However, the crowding of plankton attracts the iconic whale sharks. Whale Sharks programmes are organised particularly in those periods by local diving centres.

Where to dive

Now that you know when to dive, you also need to know the best diving locations. Seychelles has many diving spots but Mahé, Praslin and La Digue remain the best.

Mahé is renowned for its astounding underwater topography. The island counts more than 75 diving sites and is considered to be some of the most diverse in the Inner Islands. You should expect to see multiple tropical species, shipwrecks and sharks. The fantastic experience of diving in Mahé should not be missed at any cost.

Praslin Island has a rich and diverse marine life mostly monopolized by granite boulders in different sizes and shapes. Praslin has over 15 sites to explore and is the second largest in the Inner Islands. To suit all types of divers, diving can vary from 8-20 metres. Diving in Praslin is wonderful, multi-coloured reef fishes create the illusion of being out of this world. Reef sharks and turtles should be expected. Remember to book your ticket to Praslin with Air Seychelles to ensure a seamless journey.

One amongst the best diving spots in the Seychelles is La Digue Island which offers a real diving experience. The island offers more than 15 diving sites. It contains impressive granitic slopes and a wide variety of marine lives. You may spot angelfish, Parrotfish, octopus, Eagle rays and Hawksbill turtles among others. With its vibrant aquatic life, diving in La Digue is a priority.

Diving Centres

Located on Beau Vallon beach at the Berjaya hotel on Mahé, The Underwater Centre has been operating for more than 25 years now. They provide you with multilingual staff that will assist you throughout your journey. The Underwater Centre is a PADI Snorkel & Dive centre.

Again located on Mahé Island, near the Beau Vallon Beach, The Big Blue Divers centre has 15 years of diving experience. The team members are professional, multilingual, friendly and caring. In addition, they offer International PADI Certification courses.

Situated on Praslin Island at Anse Volbert on the Côte d'Or is the Octopus Diving Centre. Recently voted as one of the 100 best diving centres in the world by the German magazine “Unterwasser”, the Octopus Diving Centre provides guests with high standards of service. They are a PADI dive resort.

Located on La Digue Island at Anse Reunion, Azzurra Pro Dive are a professional and multilingual team that guarantees you an enjoyable adventure. They are PADI certified diving centre.

Initiation & Instructions

No need to get frustrated if you do not know how to dive, all of the above mentioned centres are PADI certified and can provide you with a diving course before going into the blue sea. The course will include theory, pool and water sessions. First time divers will be trained in a pool. Afterwards, they will be given instructions about how to communicate underwater and tips about diving.

Once you have grasped the techniques, you will now be ready to explore the Seychelles aquatic life.

Recompression Chamber

To eliminate many of the dangers of long decompressions underwater, a recompression chamber has been constructed on the Silhouette Island. A hyperbaric medical physician and staff are always on site.

Diving Insurance

Scuba diving is known to be a high risk sport. So as a diver it is important for you to get an insurance policy if your centre is not PADI certified. Diving accidents may not be covered by the usual insurances. However, association such as DAN, aqua med and VDST offer diving assistance and insurance.